Cambridge students attack 'bin busker' with bleach and stink bombs

He may be considered a nuisance and perform from inside a litter bin.

Charlie Cavey plays his guitar and sings from inside a bin while his dog guards his takings. His recent pitch outside Corpus Christi college, left, has made him the victim of stink bombs and a bleach attack by studentsPhoto: MARTIN POPE/GEOFF ROBINSON

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James Black, who is the college president, sent an email to students saying that while he understood their frustration their behaviour was "obviously unacceptable".

He said offending students, who continued to harass Charlie, who plays in a Cambridge City Council bin directly outside their college, would be punished by the Dean.

"There have been a number of incidents involving students and this busker, most recently seeing fart bombs thrown into the bin during one of his performances, but also extending to the bin being attacked with bleach," said Mr Black in the email.

He said it was "completely understandable" that some students found him "a real nuisance" and there was evidence to suggest he regularly broke the Street Performer's Code of Practice by playing too loudly and for more than one hour a day.

But he said students should deal with the matter by alerting the council when he broke the code, rather than taking matters into their own hands.

He said so far the city council had received very few official complaints so they were unable to move Charlie from his pitch.

But he assured students "the problem should hopefully be resolved well before exam term".

Mr Cavey said the problems started about a month ago when someone complained.

"Then I came back an hour later a whole bottle of bleach had been emptied into my bin," he said.

"Then on another occasion a student threw an exploding fart bomb into my bin, which was really dangerous and could have blinded me.

"I only play for 20 minute sets, then have a 15 minute break and only do about six sets a day.

"I have been playing in Cambridge for 11 years and this is the first time I've had any sort of complaint"

Mr Cavey has recently bought a dog to protect his takings as he cannot keep an eye on his money when he is inside the bin.

He said his act always attracts crowds as people cannot work out where the songs are coming from.

"They can hear me but can't see me so they always stop and try to work out where I am," he said.

"They're always shocked when they discover I'm in a bin. It always makes people laugh."